Geology on Hampstead Heath

These
pages provide an introduction to some of the interesting geological
features of Hampstead Heath. Both the underlying geology of the Heath
and that of some of the landmarks within the Kenwood Estate (primarily
Kenwood House and its surrounding statues) make excellent resources for
teaching.

The material is aimed at GCSE Geography and Chemistry, or A level Geography and Geology syllabuses.

Much of the necessary information for this has been gleaned from notes
by Dr Eric Robinson, formerly of the Dept of Earth Sciences at UCL, and
is provided as a teacher’s resource rather than as structured exercises.

This information can be either relayed to pupils at an appropriate
level, or be given directly to pupils either online or as visual aids
such as overheads.

We would be delighted to see any worksheets you create based on these pages, which you might like to be included on the site.

What can Hampstead Heath offer geologists?

Introductions to a number of basic rock types, including limestone, sandstone and slate

Disclaimer

The
information contained on this website is believed to be correct at the
time of posting. However, please bear in mind that alterations may be
made to signposts, paths etc. on the Heath.

If you find that anything has changed in such a way as to affect the exercises provided here, please let us know.

Access

Access to the exterior of Kenwood House is freely available to the
general public. Please bear in mind, however, that the house is
sometimes used for functions, and care must be taken to keep noise and
disturbance to a minimum.

Please take great care to ensure that no damage is caused to the fabric
of Kenwood House or any of its surrounding statues. It should not be
necessary to handle any of the rocks when, for example, examining the
fossils – LOOK BUT DO NOT TOUCH!

Hazards

We have constructed these exercises so that possible hazards are
minimized. However, please note that the Heath contains several large
areas of open water, and at least one high level viaduct. Students
should, therefore, be closely supervised; particular care should be
taken to allow sufficient time to finish the exercises in daylight hours
as the Heath may not be safe after dusk.